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The Great Cheapo Lens Challenge - 2 (Super Travenar 2.8/28)
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 9:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
And now for a close up...I cheated and added a small extension tube for this one on my 60D @f/8:



PostPosted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 12:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
Initial thoughts: The lens is horrendous! But a resize and a bit of pp never hurt anyone!


Don't beat about the bush Graham, tell it like it is ! Laughing


PostPosted: Sun Nov 04, 2012 11:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
OK, here's a landscape and a street shot. Now someone please take this hunk of crap the hell away from my cameras! Laughing





PostPosted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 9:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Has this challenge died? Wink


PostPosted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 9:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Total fail! I completely didn't send this lens on, so sorry everyone! It's time to restart the challenge!


PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 2:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The lens has arrived with me today.


PostPosted: Fri Dec 06, 2013 4:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Any progress Ed ? or is the thought of such a challenge making you delay the inevitable ? Laughing


PostPosted: Fri Dec 06, 2013 5:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lloydy wrote:
Any progress Ed ? or is the thought of such a challenge making you delay the inevitable ? Laughing


Embarassed OMG, is it that long since I received the lens! I've just gone to check and it is sitting patiently in my lens cupboard. I'll take some shots over the Christmas holidays and then pass it on to someone else.

Peter (peterqd) asked me some time ago if I would take on the administration of this challenge, and the two other lenses that are in circulation, and I agreed to do so. Since then I've been busy with work projects etc but I'll endeavour to resurrect the challenges in the New Year.

Thanks for reminding me! Smile


PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 1:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
What has happened with the challenge and the lenses ?


PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 2:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yeah, sometimes I wonder whatever happened to my Focal 28mm. I wouldn't mind getting it back.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 2:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
Yeah, sometimes I wonder whatever happened to my Focal 28mm. I wouldn't mind getting it back.


DigiChromeEd has it according to http://forum.mflenses.com/the-great-cheapo-lens-challenge-3-focal-2-8-28-t46230.html


PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 3:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
visualopsins wrote:
cooltouch wrote:
Yeah, sometimes I wonder whatever happened to my Focal 28mm. I wouldn't mind getting it back.


DigiChromeEd has it according to http://forum.mflenses.com/the-great-cheapo-lens-challenge-3-focal-2-8-28-t46230.html


So what s up with DigiChromeEd....and the Three Lenses....or has the Challenge been cancelled ??


PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 8:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I don't know if it has been already said, if it did I missed it:
most Travenar and Super Travenar lenses (including of course all the MC ones) were made in Japan and have nothing to do with the similarly named objectives made in Germany by Schacht Ulm.
Most of the 35mm's made by Schacht are called Travegon, but at least one model was called Travenar.
I know nothing about the optical design of the latter, it may have the same optical layout or it might be different.
What I know is that Travegon 35mm lenses, both f/2.8 and f/3.5, are very good, especially considering their age.
It comes as no surprise, as both were designed by the famous Dr. Bertele, the father of the original Sonnar Olympia 2.8/180mm.
The Travegon 2.8/35mm had a very advanced design for its time, being a seven elements in 3 groups. The low number of glass-to-air surfaces makes up for reduced contrast due to the lack of multicoating.
I have to properly test the 3.5/35mm, which has 6 elements and could be even better for landscape use.
With a proper hood and trying to avoid flare, both lenses should still be very usable, even on a high res sensor.
I had already read about the scarce quality of the japanese lenses that "stole" Schacht names after the german company folded.
This thread confirms that information.
I am curious about the actual maker of jap Travenar and Super Travenar objectives.
Could be Cima Kogaku or Makina, maybe even Mitake, but I don't think so. The first two are more likely.
Any clue?

I hope that the bad name of similarly named japanese lenses will not affect the consideration for the original Schacht made ones.
Years ago I almost got tricked into buying one or two lenses that I thought could have been late Schacht products.
Fortunately I checked and found that they were low performance japanese products.
I still didn't know much about post-war 35mm german lenses, cause I mostly cared about large format optics.
I was just approaching the rather steep learning curve that slowly made me aware of the many amazing small format objectives produced in the fifties and sixties in Germany.
Now I love Schacht and Steinheil lenses, a pity both brands went belly up before the era of multicoating Sad


PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 9:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I had no idea that there are Japan made Travenar`s....I only know about the Original German made ones, those that are made of Metal , Scalloped and in Silver Color , those are of Zeiss Tessar quality.


PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 6:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Novicus wrote:
I had no idea that there are Japan made Travenar`s....I only know about the Original German made ones, those that are made of Metal , Scalloped and in Silver Color , those are of Zeiss Tessar quality.


This is why I wrote the previous post!
I was not aware about that too... I had no idea that there were japanese lenses with names that remind those made by Schacht.
I regard very highly post war Schacht Ulm optics. As I said, it's a true pity that AFAIK the brand ended its camera lenses production before the introduction of multicoated glass.
I believe the same thing happened to Steinheil, while there were a few Enna lenses that very manufactured also in MC version.
For example I own a Tele Ennalyt 400mm that has the "MC" marking on the beauty ring.
I wonder what could have happened if these german brands had continued to make camera lenses for some more time.
The early seventies was a time of great innovation in the photographic field.
Bertele was quite old when he joined Schacht after WWII, but I think that he and his team could have introduced some new outstanding project, if he had the time to design new optics that could take advantage of the new coating technology, that allowed for more glass-to-air surfaces and dramatically reduced veiling flare.
I treasure the lenses I have, and I would be very happy to try other models, like the 85mm, the 90mm and the 100mm.
They don't come very cheap though, so for the moment I'm fine with the fifty, the two 35mm, and the 3.5/135mm.
Other Scgacht lenses are not so common, for example the 4/28mm. The 200mm isn't so common either.
Maybe I will buy another example of the Schacht 135mm, if I find one in almost mint conditions. The one I have is not in great shape.

Btw, speaking of 135mm's, I just found yet another version of the Isco 3.5/135mm.
It's the Regula version. It's not so common and looks like new in the pictures.
I like 135mm's on full frame, it would be nice to test the Isco against a Schacht in equally spotless conditions, and maybe also add a Komura 2.8/135mm preset, which has been the last vintage 135mm that impressed me beyond expectations.
That specific Komura is proving to be extremely good, even wide open and at minimum focusing distance.
In this specific conditions it beats the highly regarded Apo Telezenitar MC hands down.
Vintage lenses often give unexpected results... Smile


PostPosted: Tue Jun 11, 2019 3:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Mention of Schacht in a thread with subject The Cheapo Lens Challenge incongruous, yes?

@Edgar any news? Smile
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